His Knight: The Falsified King
by NeonCrescent
Summary: What would happen if Johan took the role of the original drop-out boy? What part would Judai play? What differences would these make? SpiritShipping Johan x Judai (GX-rewrite fic) OOC Judai
1. The Next King of G-Hey that's not him!

**His Knight: The Falsified King**

* * *

_Friendship/ Humor/ Drama/ Shounen/ Shounen AI?_

Summary: What would happen if Johan took the role of the original drop-out boy? What part would Judai play? What differences would these make? SpiritShipping Johan x Judai (GX-rewrite fic) OOC Judai

Warning/s: Contains shounen ai / boy x boy - stay calm and press the previous button if it is not your cup of tea…otherwise continue on

Disclaimer: If I owned the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, this story would've been in the anime/manga; get the point.

*This story shall contain elements from the anime (both ENG &amp; JPN dub) and manga

A/N: Hey guys~ NC here! I'm not exactly new around , but this is my first entry to the GX fandom…I know this series-rewrite-idea has been done many times before, but please give my version a chance.

To those who knew me by means of my other fanfics, look who's back after 3? 4? years of hiatus? ME! But I'm terribly sorry, I wouldn't be able to update my other pending stories anytime soon…I've lost interest in that fandom a long time ago, and I just couldn't work up my interest back. I'm trying, but for now let me focus on this one.

Please forgive any grammar and spelling errors, English is **not** my mother tongue, **nor **is it my best subject.

Happy reading~

* * *

**Chapter One: **The Next King of G-_Hey that's not him!_

* * *

The sun spreads its warm veil, radiance basking down the streets of Domino City. It's a perfect day for relaxing, taking a stroll in the park, relieving stress or whatever it may that comes across one's mind in the presence of clear blue skies on a beautiful Sunday morning.

To anybody lounging outside, it is as if nothing could go wrong under this serene atmosphere; as if things would only get better from then on. But I guess that kid sprinting along the sidewalk is an exemption, the weather is just mocking him.

"Why'd you not wake me up, guys? I'm gonna be late for the exams!", frustration reeking through his unfitting effeminate voice.

Well guess what? The poor boy just got crazy. How dare you atmospheric pressure!?

Most people, whom said teenager so happened to pass by at his moment of outburst, gave him looks of absolute incredulity. To them, he was talking to thin air. But really, no one needs to call the asylum. The youth is perfectly fine, he's just a little special as compared to the norm. He has this ability to communicate with spirits. Duel Monsters' to be precise. No matter how bizarre that may sound.

"Rubi rubii-bi!", a little purplish cat-like creature appeared -not as tho she's visible to many- up the teenager's shoulder. She seems to be scolding him...and for reasons unknown to the world, he understood what the fur-ball had just said.

"Well I'm sorry, for not hearing you guys the first couple of times…it's a nice day and all, but if I had a choice, I'd rather sleep in 'till the better part of the afternoon", he complained. His dark teal locks seems to agree with him, just look at that awesome bed hair...oh wait, that was natural. Yep, naturally gravity defying.

The adolescent's outfit consisted of brashly worn dark slacks secured to his waist by his brown leather belt. A blue v-neck undershirt could be seen through his unbuttoned white polo shirt. He also had an old model duel disk latched onto his left arm, his deck already placed in it.

Beside him emerged another monster spirit, this time a pink cat. Okay. Someone up there must be obsessed with felines…but anyway….here comes her pep talk, "Johan, just run, you want to study at Duel Academia or not?"

The semi-insane youth that was finally identified as Johan, only managed to retort a nonsensical groan. And in a sudden surge of stubbornness, he picked up his speed. It's Duel Academia we're talking about; the best school that specialises in...ugh...duelling -if it wasn't so obvious yet- of course everyone wants in. _He wants in_. But if he's late now, who knows when he'll get another shot to go to his dream school?

Ah. There's Kaiba Dome. Finally. That very recognizable architecture, literally taking the head of the legendary 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' as its form. This is where the Duel Academia's annual admission exams for incoming freshmen are held.

Woohoo made it~ Really?

"I guess that's a wrap then..." said some guy who seems to be in authority. He was standing by the porch of said structure, holding a few stacks of paper which probably contained the list of test takers.

"WAAAIIIT!" Looks like nothing could go wrong today after all, good job oh so heavenly magnificent weather~

* * *

Oops. That was spoken a little too soon.

Inside the dome were a bunch of student-hopefuls. They're generally wearing uniforms from their respective middle schools and are vacating the lower regions of the blue-seated coliseum; a good amount trembling in fear and anxiety, few had confidence. We take a look by the higher stands where some actual DA students are observing, having decided to drop by and see just how much '_hope_' this year's examinees have.

The stage area is where the current hands-on evaluations are being held. You see, the DA entrance exam is divided into two parts; one written and one practical. The written part was over a few days back, only the passers of the first may partake the second part -a duel against a proctor who's using one of the 'test' decks.

One particular duel caught Johan's attention when he entered the dome. And judging by the trap card _Ring of Destruction_ played by the test-taker on his own _Vorse Raider_, it's about over.

"That was a sweet move!" he applauded and this remark caught the attention of a potential friend.

"That's Misawa Daichi" a small guy informed him pointing towards the teen who just passed his exam with flying colors, "He's said to be the one who got the highest score for the written"

"Wow. I barely even passed, ranked 110th. Slept through it" he responded with a laugh now looking at the other speaker. Johan first noticed his small stature and the teal hair only a few tones lighter than his. He was wearing a basic navy blue schemed _gakuran _and a pair of tiny round glasses delicately placed right above his nose.

"Same here. I ranked 119th in the written and I don't know how I won my duel. By the way I'm Marufuji Sho"

"Johan Andersen"

"You're a foreigner?"

"Yeah, but my family's migrated here for about 2 years now"

"Cool. Well that was supposed to be the last duel, see you around the school I guess"

They stared at each other. An awkward silence fell upon them for who knows how long. Just know that it was by how much time the taller teen needed to sink that information in.

"I haven't duelled yet", the silence have been lifted.

"Eh?"

Oh how fast it went back again.

* * *

In what seemed like the control system were the proctors and other DA personnel. Needless to say they are the overseers of the on-going field tests. 'On-going' being the adjective. It should have been all done after that Misawa kid! Now we have a fuming long blue coat clad blonde she-male. Great.

"The nerve of that late comer, I shall deal with him myself na no ne!" he's not in the best of moods since he practically just got scolded by the school's chancellor for reasons pertaining to last year's exam fiasco. Something about someone calling him 'miss'.

"Which test deck should we use?", asked one of the proctors. "_Non non non. _Don't bother with the details. _No problema._", were his snappy comebacks.

* * *

The youth called Misawa, whom was sporting a slicked-back black leaning-down-to-gray hair, was somehow heading the two teal-heads way as he made his exit. He was clad in his meticulously ironed middle school uniform like the rest of the examinees.

"Hey that was a great duel", it was the taller of the two who spoke. Misawa on the other hand merely nodded in gratitude for the compliment. "You might just be the second best duelist around here!" Johan exclaimed, his duel spirits were giggling knowing full well what he meant -not that anyone else could hear them save for their master.

"Duelist Number 110, please proceed to exam field 4", cue the system announcer.

"I'm up! Well guys, wish me luck~" he half jogged half ran down the steps towards the designated area only to be stopped by the raven haired's sudden question. "If I'm the second best, who's the best?" "Me!" He grinned brightly earning shocked faces from his companions, then went ahead and continued his pace.

"How can he be so confident? He only scored 9 points higher than me" "I think we're about to find out"

* * *

"Test time, what is your name na no ne?", you could feel the hate ringing through the she-male's voice. Our protagonist is oblivious about it though. "Johan Andersen here! Are you the proctor...ugh...miss?"

Many a students at the higher stands gaped in utter disbelief of his audacity. Most of them thinking if the kid had guts or was only an idiot.

A vein popped the proctor's head, "Let me inform you that I have a PhD in duelling therefore earning a title of doctor no ne!". The teen's already causing him so much stress he's not even in yet. Or rather, ever.

"Oh...I thought you were some weird academy mascot or something." He earned a few suppressed giggles from the crowd.

None of the above. This kid is suicidal.

That does it. The blue-clad abomination thought it'd be best to impose his status on this retard. "I am Chronos De Medici no ne. Chief General Director of Practical Application and also Head of the Obelisk Blue dorm...which by the way you'll never get into no ne~"

This fact caught the ears of all freshie-wannabes. The summary of their thoughts being _'why is he getting special treatment?'_

"A Department Head? I feel so important right now~"

"You wouldn't after I'm done with you, _Drop-out Boy_!"

"Duel!" "Duel!" they proclaimed in unison all the while activating their duel disks on. The juvenile's is an older version as said earlier, his came out a few years back during the historical _Battle City_. Chronos' on the other hand, was of the latest releases; he commented on it being something only the top class can own.

* * *

Both players are shown to have 4000 life points each, visible to the audience via Kaiba Corporation's _Solid-Visual system_.

They drew their first 5 cards.

**Johan: 4000 LP**

**Chronos: 4000 LP**

"I'll start, draw! I summon _Gem Beast - Emerald Turtle_ in defence mode, then I'll set one card face down and end my turn"

**Gem Beast - Emerald Turtle: ATK 600 / DEF 2000**

A monster card was shown in face-up landscape position in front of the younger duelist, hovering over said card was a bright green stone which seconds later, shattered with blinding light only to reappear as a giant turtle shell covered in precious emerald.

* * *

The spectators awed at its beauty having not seen a monster like that ever before. Amongst them was someone who acted a little more surprised than the rest, appearing to have more background knowledge pertaining to it. He had jet black hair that was styled in a way that shouldn't even be possible.

"You okay there, Manjoume-sanda?" a brunette lackey to the more astonished person asked. Both of them wearing Obelisk Blue freshman coats.

"I've heard of that card before, no…I've heard of that _deck_ before. I just can't pinpoint where, when or why" the youth now named as Manjoume replied, all the while biting the nail of his right thumb in a pondering gesture.

* * *

Some of the surrounding Blues heard him, different conclusions coming to their mind. Two notable 'accidental' eavesdroppers being an ash-blond female and another dark teal-head male -visibly taller than the two aforementioned green-locked teenagers.

"You think the kid's special?" inquired the epitome of beauty, as most boys and some girls would undoubtedly agree, Tenjoin Asuka.

"Who knows…" was her companion's partially interested reply "I say we're going to see a clash of legendary rare cards"

"What do you mean, Kaiser?"

* * *

"My turn! Draw na no ne! I activate the magic card _Confiscation_" the professor looked smug, not a good sign for Johan. "By paying 1000 LP, I get to look at your hand then I select one to send packing to the graveyard na no ne~"

**Chronos: 3000 LP**

**Johan: 4000 LP**

The youth's remaining four cards in hand were revealed. Them being _Gem Beast - Topaz Tiger_, _E-Force_, _Crystal Release _and _Monster Reborn_.

Chronos thought of embarrassing his opponent by pointing out that his cards were for rookies. Turns out, the _Doctor _had no idea what those were and so decided he'll just pick the one he knows of, _Monster Reborn, _to be safe_._

"Next, I activate _Magnet Circle LV2 _na no ne; this card allows me to special summon one level 2 or lower Machine-type monster from my hand. Come fort Ancient Gear no ne!"

There was a shock of purple-colored electricity that summoned a small pile of antique gears and engines depicting a mini-robot.

**Ancient Gear: ATK 100 / DEF 800**

**"**Well I'm not done yet _Signore_! I activate the effect of my _Ancient Gear, _the one resting in my hand na no ne, if I control a monster with an '_Ancient Gear' _in its name, I get to special summon him in face-up attack position!**"**

An exact copy of the earlier monster came out of nowhere the arena by means of hologram.

"But why stop there no ne? I sacrifice both my _Ancient Gears _to summon the 'real' beast, _Ancient Gear Golem_!" the she-male in full regalia oh so dramatically called out.

The small piles dispersed, but what took their place is a giant. A huge collection of non-symmetrical antique machinery made out to be a mix of a humungous robot and a gladiator.

**Ancient Gear Golem: ATK 3000 / DEF 3000**

* * *

"That's not a test deck, that's Chrono-sensei's personal _Dark Ages _deck!" Asuka gasped at the revelation, fully understanding what the _Kaiser _has said earlier. "Too bad for that guy, looks like the gates to the academy closed shut in on him"

"And to think he summoned _Ancient Gear Golem _on his first turn, as expected. I heard he has never lost a duel after having summoned that monster out"

"The future seems so bleak for Number 110 now, I hate it when Chronos-sensei imposes on elitism."

* * *

"Next I'll activate _Limiter Removal_, this spell doubles the attack points of all Machine-type monsters present in the field no ne! Your puny little excuse of a 'beast' is no match to my _Ancient Gear Golem, _destroy him withUltimate Pound! _Adieu, au revoir Signore _Andersen~"

**Ancient Gear Golem: ATK 3000 — 6000**

"Hey! Don't insult my family! Just cos' Emerald Turtle's a little weaker than your monster, it doesn't give you the right to badmouth him!" he protested.

"Johan, I'm so flattered" the old turtle smiled at the youth.

"Yes, yes…I forgot how rookies get attached to their cards no ne" their opponent waved his hand in dismissal, obviously having not heard nor seen the turtle's _spirit._

The _Golem_'s colossal fist came closing in on the elderly _Gem Beast. _The blonde professor took that time to reveal his monster's piercing effect -when _Gear Golem _attacks a defence positioned monster, the difference between their ATK points and DEF points are calculated as battle damage. "I suggest you do the math _Drop-out Boy, _6000 ATK points minus 2000 DEF points is equal to?" she-male mocked. The teal-head's eyes widened.

'So he used up all his hand cards and intends to finish this in one turn! The professor's awesome~ now I really want to attend DA!', were his thoughts.

* * *

The crowd doesn't share Johan's optimism though. Most of them were feeling sorry for him. Some of the present Obelisks laughed at him, thinking he really shouldn't have insulted the proctor earlier even if it was as harmless as he might have meant it to be; that they were right with their first assumption of the kid _being _suicidal.

Sho and Misawa shared looks of worry, was all the confidence he had before backs up to nothing?

Asuka shook her head in disapproval of the 'bullying'.

Kaiser was simulating various techniques in his head, wondering what he could do to prevent the upcoming 'one-turn-kill' had he been on that situation.

And Manjoume was still thinking as to where he might have heard of the _Gem Beasts_, his two lackeys are seen trying to convince their 'leader' that he has nothing to worry about since Number 110 is pretty much toasted already. Wait for it! It's in the tip of his tongue! You know the feeling of how once you think you know something but then you couldn't remember what it was; and you get so frustrated trying to figure it out that you couldn't sleep? That!

* * *

"Sorry I can't protect you gramps" the younger duelist whispered to his _duel spirit _who closed his eyes and nodded in understanding "I activate my trap card, _Cut Jewel! _By sending _Topaz Tiger _from my hand to the cemetery, I can lower your _Golem's _attack points by half its original"

**Ancient Gear Golem: ATK 6000 — 4500**

"YOU CAN'T NA NO NE!" the dark ages duelist panicked, he knows that _Limiter Removal's_ downside effect would destroy his _Gear Golem _and leave him defenceless on his opponent's next turn. Gritting through his teeth, he continued with the attack. But hey, it's not like he could stop it even if he wanted to.

The attack went through, but only causing 2500 points of damage instead of the supposedly 4000 points.

**Chronos: 3000 LP**

**Johan: 1500 LP**

"Woohoo we survived~ thanks_ Emerald Turtle_, _Topaz Tiger!" _the foreigner cheered, his mouth closed to his duel disk as if he's really talking to his cards. Well in a sense, he is, but let's not go into that stuff anymore and move on with the duel.

"It's too early to celebrate _Drop-out Boy! _If I remember correctly, you just discarded the only monster you had left in your hand. Unless you have one, you can't harm my life points no ne!" an attempt to salvage his shattering pride. Give the she-male a rest, he just caused his ace monster to self-destruct to oblivion.

"Don't count my deck out teach! I believe in my cards and they'll surely respond to me!"

The Obelisk supervisor realised that he really hated the kid, through and through. He brought out his pink hanky, biting at one end then pulling at the other; he begrudgingly announced the end of his turn. _Ancient Gear Golem_'s body fell apart.

* * *

To say that the spectators were surprised is an understatement. They're beyond shocked, eyes wide as saucers threatening to bulge out -metaphorically of course. The earlier noted people's reaction? Priceless.

Sho and Misawa were on the edge of their seat. This is getting really exciting!

Asuka began to think otherwise of the exam taker. Maybe he has some promise after all.

Kaiser was amused. Although the ever present scowl on his handsome face never faltered one bit.

Sidekick 1 and sidekick 2 mimicked most of the audience's reaction.

Manjoume on the other hand... "AHA!" That classic _eureka _moment.

Weird looks were given to him as if he had grown another head.

Looks like he finally remembered 'those' little facts.

* * *

"When my Gem Beasts are destroyed while face-up in battle, instead of going to the grave, they take a short vacation on my spell/trap card zone. Welcome back, Emerald Turtle!" again gaining awes and oohs of appreciation from the viewers as a lime light shone forming a beautiful emerald stone suspended in the air.

It was new to them. Certainly not to Johan, but he's used to explaining his monsters' effect because he had to, otherwise he'd be accused of cheating or something.

"Draw!" he looked at his card. He smirked. Cue the fangirls in the house~

"I summon _Gem Beast - Sapphire Pegasus _in attack mode!"

Light, in a rich shade of blue, enveloped the stage. A lovely sapphire stone appeared, and not too long later, rose a most magnificent mythical creature. His wings, spread wide in a show of grace; his skin boasts its unblemished expanse of white. The Prideful _Pegasus_. This beautiful muscular stallion is a companion befitting a _King;_ a _God_.

Does that make Johan…a _King_?…a _God_?…but of what?

**Gem Beast - Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 / DEF 1200**

"So what no ne?! You're _Pegasus _alone can't beat me. _Imposible._ _Dificilismo_. I'll destroy you on my next turn na no ne!"

"Whoever said he was alone? I'm activating his effect. When _Sapphire Pegasus _is successfully summoned on the field, I get to add one _Gem Beast _from my hand, deck, or graveyard to my spell/trap card zone. Say hello to _Gem Beast - Topaz Tiger~_"

This time, it was warm orange light that embraced them. A most precious topaz formed and is now floating in the air beside the earlier emerald. Another round of pleased noises came from the audience, and that's not gonna be the end of it.

"From my hand I activate, E-Force! This card lets me wake a _Gem Beast _slumbering in my spell/trap card zone. It's your time to shine, _Topaz Tiger!"_

The special orange stone glowed once more, it shattered in a swift motion and in pounced a mighty tiger; an eternal rival to the _King_ of the Jungle. He bares his sharp fangs against his prey; his eyes, glinting amusement; his growl, threatening to cause pain. Chronos is so in for it.

**Gem Beast - Topaz Tiger: ATK: 1600 / DEF 1000**

_**"**MAMA-MIA!**"**_

A last batch of admiration was bestowed upon Johan and his monsters as both _Pegasus _and_ Tiger _delivered the finishing blows. The _Gem Beasts _neighed and roared respectively in a last display of strength before fading to an exit as the _solid-visuals_ were powered off.

**Chronos: 0 LP**

**Johan: 1500 LP**

* * *

Manjoume smirked, "Welcome to Duel Academia, _North American Champion: Johan of the Gem Beasts. _I'll be taking great pleasure crushing you"

His statement did not go unheard.

The raven-locked teen turned his back to leave, shortly after followed by his lackeys.

An erie silence made itself known among the present DA students, a threat to the Obelisk Blue supremacy has arrived. After this duel, they highly doubt Chronos would let him anywhere near their dorm. The guy pissed him of so much, he'd most probably land with the Ra Yellows; if he ever end up with the Reds, he won't be staying there for long, but he'd NEVER be a Blue, that's the kind of person their professor is. That _prideful_ _jerk; _so unlike the _Pegasus _from earlier. Now they have to study harder to prove that they were the elites. That no Ra, and most certainly no Osiris, should ever beat them.

But seriously, can't he just promote the kid to Blue? As much as they like being the top dogs, working their heads off isn't something they enjoy. That's overkill. Heck, some -most- of them only bought their way here.

* * *

"An _Overseas Champion,_ huh? This should be an interesting year." a smile of anticipation reached Asuka's gorgeous face.

The _Kaiser _thought the same, but he never voiced it out.

"I'll look forward to duelling against you, _Ichiban-kun._" were Misawa's musings.

"He's so cool, I wish I could be as confident as him…as good at duelling…as awe- oh who am I kidding?…those are impossible for me" Sho's enthusiasm dying down towards the end of his supposed self-encouragement.

* * *

Chronos went ahead and ditched congratulating Johan for getting accepted into the academy to some other lesser proctors, his pride has been wounded. Only vengeance could possibly heal it. He made to exit the Kaiba Dome as the rest of the student body.

* * *

The revealed Norwegian Champion stayed for a while, taking his own pace while talking animatedly to his duel spirits. Each congratulating him on his successful entrance exam, until he was told that the staff had to close off the building.

They'd be heading to Duel Academia island next day morning, he better go home and start packing. He could use some sleep too, he was interrupted previously after all.

* * *

During all the commotion with the _Drop-out Boy_, somewhere in the streets was a guy -a little on the short side- wearing a grey blazer and black dress pants with a red turtle-neck undershirt looked as though he was lost. He had with him a small red and black duffel bag; on the right side of his pants, were four deck holsters hanging by the belt hugging his slim waist. His unruly molten caramel to chocolate mop of hair and sable-rimmed rectangular eyeglasses adorns his large golden brown eyes. Ultimately, he is a cute kid. An almost feminine one too.

He'd been roaming around the city for some time now, but he couldn't get to his supposed destination. With a sigh, he crouched down to the height of his -invisible to most- chibi hero companions.

"_Knopse_, _Ice Edge_…I believe we're lost"

"No we're not! We just have to walk down here!" the one called _Knopse _protested all the while pointing to a random direction. He is an earth-type _Elemental Hero_, who has a green rosebud for both his body and head, then two smaller ones for his hand. His legs were leaves, as well as the cape on his back.

"And you are so sure, how?" pouted the two-toned brunette.

"Because!" _Ice Edge_ reasoned, tugging down on his duelist's sleeves; as if that explains anything. Similar to the first _duel spirit_, he is also an _E-Hero_, though they differ in attributes. He is in a blue spandex suit which was covered in periwinkle crystal-like armour.

Defeated, the youth just followed the two comic book themed heroes to where ever it was they're leading him to for the past couple of hours. He muttered something about missing an 'important test' and 'school admission'.

It had been another pointless walking for the next few minutes. Both _Knopse_ and _Ice Edge_ were running down the streets in a zigzagging motion, arms raised perpendicular to their sides, narrowly avoiding each other as they meet at the very centre of the pathway. The teenager couldn't help but smile at their childish antics and told himself that he'd take the 'transferee exam' instead.

"WE'RE HERE!" the duo broke his thoughts. He glanced around, noting that he was brought to community park which currently had a few other people.

"This is not the _Kaiba Dome._" his left hand fixing his glasses.

"Yup, but we're here!" the green one exclaimed, overly excited. The young duelist looked at him questioningly, he gave the surrounding another once over. His gaze finally landing on a figure with very recognisable tri-coloured locks. The reigning _King of Games _leisurely approached him with a knowing expression on his face.

"I believe this card belongs to you." Mouto Yugi handed the boy, who just stood on his spot dumbstruck, a card.

Unconsciously, he accepted the offer then looked down on it. His irises turned into a more yellowish gold colour for a split second. _Hane Kuriboh_.

The moment he moved his eyes back to the _King_, the young adult was no longer within sight. And just then, he heard a soft _'Kuri kuri' ._

"So that's how it is…", the brown haired teen moved to add said card onto the first casing on his belt. "Let's go home".

"We're not going to that big _'Blue-Eyes'_ anymore?", _Ice Edge_ tilted his head in question.

"Nope. We'll have other things to do instead…like welcoming a new friend". He walked away with his _duel spirits _in tow.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

MORE A/N's:

*_Hane Kuriboh_ \- Winged Kuriboh

*_Gakuran - _a variant of a middle school uniform for boys in Japan consisting of dress pants and long sleeved button-up coat that should be closed up until the neck, just a few inches below the chin.

*I am so tempted to write a few Japanese phrases, especially for Chronos since his 'na no ne's sounded so weird to me…so tell me if I should

*All the cards used/will be used in this fanfiction are existing cards…either appearing in the anime, manga, or in real life. So you can search them in the net to see what they actually look like.

*The ones mentioned in this chapter belong to Misawa's, Chronos' and Johan's actual deck in the show; Judai's belonged in the manga series (don't worry, his original heroes would still be present in this fic, notice that I have mentioned above that he had 4 deck holsters with him; there's a reason for that…so stay tuned….I wish). I hope you guys liked how their duel went…even though I rushed that one cos' it was hard to write…

*I'd be skipping duels which I deem unimportant to the story's progress...and mainly because their difficult to come up with and to hasten the pace since the major 'changes' I'm gonna do won't be showing until the middle of the first season...that'd be like reading what you watched before and I'm not really a fan of that...so expect a large cut on the duels

*I'm really slow on the updates so bear with me...but then again, does anyone still read yu-gi-oh gx fanfictions? aside from me that is...so sad

*This is the third time I'm trying to upload this...I can't seem to get rid of the html codes...hope it works properly now

Reviews please? Comments and suggestions are most welcome…Thanks a bunch~


	2. Welcome to Duel Academia

**His Knight: The Falsified King**

* * *

**Chapter Two: **Welcome to Duel Academia…_and a flash forward _

* * *

A breeze, not too strong nor weak in any way, blew past a youth's form. His chocolatey hair danced along the wind as was his ash grey blazer. Waves clashed against the port in mild strokes. He stood still, unwavering, looking at an already far off vehicle from where he stood by the harbour.

"What's wrong _Hane Kuriboh?"_

From his side appeared a _spirit _of one of his cards. Said creature flew beside his master, alarming him of some unusually high _duel_ _energy_ coming off of someone or a group -he couldn't really tell- aboard the chopper.

He contemplated on a thought that came to his mind.

* * *

"On your right, you will see your new home far away from home!" a person explained via the intercom, probably one of the flight attendants or the professors -not that the excited students really cared.

Most, if not all, aspiring duelists on the plane moved towards the windows on the side directed to them. What came to view is the aerial perspective of a small island. It had a dormant volcano and is widely forested. On the centre of the solitary land amongst the southern waters stood a huge building. It had a big dome-shaped roofing with a bunch of pyrimidal-ended columns, smaller domes in red, yellow and blue appear to function as overhangs but they can't really depict more details on the structure as they are still very much above ground level.

A few awes could be heard from the passengers. Each had their own way of expressing their anticipation. Some were rather vocal about it while others had themselves behaved as a way to show a decent amount of maturity. Since there were faculty on board, the least they could do was to give their soon-to-be lecturers a good first impression.

A few moments later they finally descended upon one of the helipads just above what seemed to be a storage room for the boats. A few meters below, is a harbour much like the one they had assembled at earlier that day for their ride to _Duel Academia Island_. This is usually where various consumable and non-consumable supplies are delivered from the mainland, _Domino City_.

One by one, they filed out of the helicopter, either wearing red or yellow long sleeved blazers issued by the school. They were later instructed to gather in front of a bald guy, most likely in his late 50s, with a comforting smile. He had a short grey beard and is wearing what looked to be an adult's version of the student's uniform, though his had coattails that could reach until below his knees in maroon colour.

Beside him stood the already introduced blue-clad she-male in all of his leftover glory, visibly still pissed off on a certain teal haired teen whom defeated him not too long ago. He'd been glaring at whoever tried to approach him since then. Such bitterness.

"Good day freshmen! I am Samejima-_kocho_…" the shaven head started. He was explaining a few of the school rules and regulations, dorm assignments, as well as how these dorms function and other concerns that his newest batch of pupils may need to last their next three years of campus life. But then again, nobody really bothers with the small details like that save for the more dedicated ones.

As soon as Samejima noticed he no longer holds his students' interest, he decided to put an abrupt stop to his admittedly lengthy speech, and with the same kind smile still lingering on his face he told them all "Welcome to _Duel Academia"._

And like flies whom ones concentrated on a single spot only to disperse after a swat, the rookies went their separate ways. Many moved to explore the rest of the island before having to go to their respective dorms. Some tried to reacquaint with people they have met prior to arriving at their alma matter; amongst those was a certain Norwegian Champion whom caused quite an uproar upon his arrival.

* * *

"Ah. I'm in Osiris Red"

"Me too"

After a brief pause from looking at their own PDAs, Johan and Sho beamed at each other having realised they'd be staying in the same dorm. At least they already know someone and they could avoid awkward introductions as much as possible.

Both of them had the issued red jacket uniform on but is worn differently. The taller of the two had a his casually unzipped, matched with a plain black v-neck undershirt. He had dark faded jeans and his signature boots for the lower half of his attire. While Sho wears his like any other male DA student.

A few moments later, the duo spotted Misawa and called him over. They exchanged not too many a words, just a couple of teases and banters but the latecomer couldn't help but voice his wonder as to why Johan was placed with the Reds.

The _Osiris _pair did not understand, at the time, what it means to be ranked in the dorms so they just shrugged it off and zoom they went for an exploration after saying their goodbyes with the _Ra _student. The _Gem Beast _duelist screamed something about 'smelling' a duel and he wants to check it out. Bizzare? I know.

Through this little incident they met with Manjoume Jun, current _Obelisk Blue _freshman top dog whom had an obnoxiously huge ego and two lackeys to boot. The Blues were mocking Johan and Sho until they recognised the former from yesterday's entrance exams, they became a little guarded except for their apparent leader.

Because Manjoume-_sanda_ is a Manjoume, he looks down on insignificant beings and eats more than he can chew. He claims that the duel between Johan and Chronos had been won by the _Osiris drop-out _out of sheer luck. We probably all know how this is gonna end, no?

Their almost duel was interrupted by Obelisk's beauty, Tenjoin Asuka, reminding them that they need to go back to their own dorms for some sort of welcoming party. Johan and Sho gets introduced to their very discouraging repeater koala-much dorm mate, Maeda Hayato; later duelling Manjoume anyway using ante-rule which was also put to a halt by incoming guards.

And before anyone could realise it, it's already been a month. Chronos had predictably been attempting various futile methods to kick the Norwegian champion out of campus. One such incident was when he sent a fake love letter to Johan, supposedly from Asuka, but the letter ended up with the first year Marufuji; Asuka, in turn, used this to her advantage to finally be able to test out Johan's strength as a duellist. The rest of these feeble attempts so far ended with Johan winning against whoever Chronos sent his way, much to the latter's chagrin.

* * *

There was also this one time when Johan came running late for the monthly promotion exams…déjà vu...

"Why'd you not wake me up, guys? I'm gonna be late for the exams!" protested the '_Slifer Slacker_' dashing with extra effort towards his class.

_Amethyst Cat_ shook her head in disbelief, "No Johan, we're not doing this again". _Ruby_ aggressively fired her mewls of "Rubi-s" in agreement with the other _Gem Beast_ from her perch atop her duellist's head. The teenager could only groan as a retort. He couldn't really argue with them can he? It was his fault either way, so he focused all his energy in trying to make it on time.

Alas, as he was halfway there he spotted an old lady trying to push a truck on a hill slope. After debating over his head whether to help the elder or not, giving his assistance eventually won out. Hoping to whoever God that could see his good deed right now helps him pass the written test he's now sure to miss the half of.

Now_ 'Drop-out boy' _right here is not really a drop-out per say. While it is true that he have been put to _Osiris Red_ due to his low entrance exam score despite his exceptional hands on ability on duelling, it is but falsehood to say he's dumb. Johan is actually smart; if he put his heart into it, he'd probably be on _Obelisk Blue_ in record time —except Chronos is doing everything in his power to prevent this from happening. He's main problem is his lack of drive to do so.

It had been in a silent agreement amongst the freshmen that Johan is the strongest duellist of their batch. What with his title as an overseas champion backing his skills —Sho had been awfully proud of his '_aniki' _and blabber-mouthed this not-really-secret status every chance he got so the whole DA student body is aware of it. There isn't really much of a point of climbing the social tree if your already considered number one, is there?

By the time he arrived for the written part, he'd been right to assume he'd be missing the first half. Taking a questionnaire and an answer sheet from the proctor, he quickly seated himself at the empty slot beside Sho and struggled to answer whatever he could within the remaining period. Hey, he should at least get a passing mark so the rumour about him being an actual idiot would stop you know?

Sho was worried, but that's not really anything new.

"Being thirty minutes late means he has no consideration for the written test…" Asuka felt mocked.

Misawa looked over Johan from his place in the _Yellows, _his thoughts were "How can you be so negligent and yet have such considerable skills, Johan Anderson?"

Other students share the same sentiments as them having all the bitterness in the world, "How did a guy like him beat Professor Chronos?"

* * *

"Say _aniki_, aren't you interested in going to the card shop? I'm thinking about beefing up my deck a bit before the test duel" Sho had his entire deck laid out on his desk, ever so anxious on how his duel would happen.

"Hm? Wouldn't that be counterproductive tho?"

"Counter-what? Aniki stop using words you don't know, it won't make you look smart!"

"Hey! I have feelings too!" Johan huffed…that 'idiot' rumour about him really needs to stop. "How about you Misawa?"

The aforementioned smugly replied, "My deck is well balanced with the most effective formula I've completed as of late, any unaccounted variables might break its equilibrium"

Johan looked at him incredulously "Not exactly how I would put it…but close enough"

"It might not be a problem for you guys, but my deck would't mind the extra help!" Sho exclaimed dejectedly, "Especially you _aniki_, since students from the same dorm are matched against each other for promotion exams you won't even be challenged with us in the _Reds_…"

"I never said that and you shouldn't feel so down before even duelling! You won't know the outcome of a duel until the last card is played!" Johan's _duel spirits_ were comically nodding in the background.

* * *

They later went to the card shop anyway, Johan really wanted Sho to cheer up so he accompanied him, only to find out it's been wiped clean. No, not mugged. All except one booster pack were sold within minutes, as told by the young shop keeper, Seiko.

"No more rare cards? Just this one left?" the shorter teal-head despaired at the situation. Seiko looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, but there was this one shady guy that bought all of the rare cards the moment we opened the store, other students settled for the normal packs and this is the last one"

"C'mon Sho, cheer up! Look into the bright side, there's one left for you!" Johan patted the other on the back.

"I guess you're right…"

The old lady Johan helped earlier suddenly showed up and gave him a little something.

* * *

It was later revealed that Chronos had been the one to buy all of the new rare cards shipped from Domino City and that he gave them to Manjoume to 'make the drop-out boy remember that we elites are the rare ones around here'. This elitist needs a hug, with a rope, around the neck.

Needless to say, Chronos schemed his way in putting Manjoume against Johan during practicals.

"Eh? Why am I duelling against Manjoume?" not that Johan is protesting, this foreigner is just surprised to not find a fellow _Osiris _student on the other side of the playing field. Those were the rules after all.

"-_Sanda_!" Jun had a feeling he'd be doing this for a quite some time.

"Since you scored so well in the entry exam -_desu_ no ne, you wouldn't match up evenly against any _Osiris Red_ students. Which is why we have judged that _Signore_ Manjoume is a more suitable opponent for you na no ne~" was the Doctor's explanation, much to his dorm mates' relief. If they ever dream of getting promoted to either _Ra _or _Obelisk, _they certainly don't wanna be matched-up against Johan during this monthlies.

"Of course, if you win, you'd be promoted to _Ra Yellow_. So would you accept this offer, Johan Anderson-_kun_?"

Johan wouldn't say no to a promisingly fun duel, and so without further ado, the customary chorus of "Duel!" between contenders queued the start of it.

* * *

They activated their duel disks and drew their first five cards.

**Johan: 4000 LP**

**Manjoume: 4000 LP**

"I start first, draw! I summon _Gem Beast - Emerald Turtle_ in defence mode and end my turn"

**Gem Beast - Emerald Turtle: ATK 600 / DEF 2000**

Nobody's as surprised as when they first saw one of the _Gem Beasts _in actionbefore, but that is not to say that the appreciation for their beauty diminished by a fraction. The solid-visiuals recreated the ever precious form of the old blue turtle tucked inside his emerald embellished giant shell, drawing quiet hums and awes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sho and Misawa are with the rest of the student body up at the spectators' stand. Each keeping their own notions with regards to the current duel.

'_Aniki_ really is amazing…getting assigned to duel an _Obelisk_ despite being in _Osiris_'

'If Johan wins, he'll move up to _Ra Yellow_…the school year's barely started and yet he's already…'

* * *

"Your _Gem Beast _deck is full of small fries, I'll show you just how fragile you are!" taunted Manjoume. "My turn, draw! I activate the spell card _Magical Mallet! _By shuffling this card along with any cards I don't want in my hand back into my deck, I could draw as many as I've returned"

"Furthermore, if I draw _Magical Mallet _again; I get to do this until I get the cards I want! Now I summon, _V-Tiger Jet _in attack mode"

**V-Tiger Jet: ATK 1600 / DEF 1800**

In came a zooming tiger-themed robot in Manjoume's monster zone. "Next I'll activate the permanent magic, _Frontline Base. _Once each turn, I can special summon a level-4 or below monster from my hand. Come forth, _W-Wing Catapult_!"

**W-Wing Catapult: ATK 1300 / DEF 1500**

"And then I fuse it with _V-Tiger Jet…VW-Tiger Catapult! _"

**VW-Tiger Catapult: ATK 2000 / DEF 2100**

* * *

"How could he fusion summon without any form of _Polymerization_?" Sho asked no one in particular, feeling overwhelmed with how Manjoume just keeps on calling forth strong monsters after the other.

Misawa obliged himself to answer, "_W-Wing Catapult_ is a type of _union monster_ that fuses with its host, he doesn't need any other fusion material besides that card and _V-Tiger Jet_ for this one Sho…still the way Manjoume is maximising his cards' usage is superb"

* * *

"Shocked aren't you, Johan? However, my turn has yet to end!" with oh so heavy theatrics he finally commenced the start of his battle phase "I activate the special effect of my _VW-Tiger Catapult, _by discarding a card from my hand, I could switch your _Emerald Turtle_ into attack mode! Now fire some damage, eradicate that so-called beast!"

**Johan: 2600 LP**

**Manjoume: 4000 LP**

"You know the drill, when one of my _Gem Beasts_ gets destroyed in battle they stay on my field as a continuous spell!" the teal-head reminded right after flinching from the beating just took; in which Manjoume just snarly replied "Whatever! I set 1 card face down and end my turn."

The hologram depicted _Emerald Turtle_ getting shattered like glass only to reform as an expensive looking big jewel, which of course never ceased to be a breathtaking display. Manjoume's fusion monster returned to his position in the monster zone and a larger-than-actual set down card could be seen floating beside the already flipped open _Frontline Base_.

* * *

"Bravo! _Signore_ Manjoume has certainly mastered the tactics he's added in to their fullest!" the Doctor commented on the quickly becoming one-sided game —in his opinion that is.

* * *

"Nothing's decided yet, my turn. Draw!" his eyes widened, 'This is the card from the pack Tome-san gave me'

"I summon _Sapphire Pegasus_ in defence position!"

"Hahaha! All the talk about you being our batch's best are just that, talk!" other _Obelisk Blue_ elitists shared his triumph. Finally someone shuts the _Red's_ big shot up!

**Gem Beast - Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 / DEF 1200**

Johan's once intimidating beast seemed to cower against Manjoume's stronger, much larger, machine-type monster. It's elegant untainted wings is shielding it's body, as if to say he's not deserving of the crowds gaze. He's head is cast southwards, shy in opposition to mid-flight _VW-Tiger Catapult_.

"With _Pegasus_ being successfully summoned on the field I get to add another Gem Beast from my deck, hand or grave to my Spell/Trap card zone…it's your big debut _Amethyst Cat!"_

'Sorry for bringing you guys out like this' was on the foreigner's mind as a purple shine blinded the audience for a second only to form into yet another pretty crystal. Unbeknownst to most, his duel spirits gave him a nod of understanding. 'We're with you in everything, Johan'

* * *

"But _Sapphire Pegasus_ is aniki's trump card, he'd always put him in attack before"

"It might be because he's out of options…" Misawa was being pessimistic but he's frustratingly realistic "This is not all you've got right, Johan?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel that Johan's deck is lacking something" Asuka steps in the boys' conversation, voicing her own opinion to the matter at hand "His _Gem Beasts' _swarm effect is great, I even got myself defeated by him, but I think he lacks a definitive finisher"

Sho and Misawa were left pondering on this statement.

* * *

As much as Johan hates to admit it, this is really all he could do for now…he hesitated a bit then declared "I set a card face down and end my turn!"

Manjoume did a double take…did he just hear that _Cat_ talk? He's blaming the Norwegian champion for this, dragging him to his insanity. He concluded with himself that he better finish this soon.

"My turn, draw!" yes, this will be finished soon "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode and with Frontline Base still in play, I special summon Z-Metal Caterpillar!"

**X-Head Cannon: ATK 1800 / DEF 1500**

**Z-Metal Caterpillar: ATK 1500 / DEF 1300**

"X and Z…that means" Johan was getting depressed about this. His opponent thinks it's because he'd defeat the _Gem_ wielder soon.

"Reverse card open! _Call of the Haunted" _he smirked "This lets me revive the card I discarded earlier, _Y-Dragon Head_!"

**Y-Dragon Head: ATK 1500 / DEF 1600**

"I knew you'd do that. Hate to break it to you Manjoume, but I can't allow anymore of this…I don't really like doing this tho..." truthfully, the trap Johan set face down is something he was against of using…he set this card in case of emergency alone and as much as possible, he'd try his hardest not to resort to using anything akin to it.

Foe or not, he did not like destroying cards.

"I activate the trap card _Torrential Tribute!"_

It might have been a spur of the moment when he decided to place such a card in his deck. The recently played trap was a gift from the old lady he helped, Tome —the Duel Academy card shop owner. It was amongst the cards in the rare pack she managed to sneak out before they were sold out.

"When a monster is summoned, it destroys all monsters on the field"

He'd been grateful for them at the time because rare cards are still rare cards regardless of whether he'd actually use them or not. Seeing as Sho was trying to salvage his own deck by mixing some of his new cards; he nonchalantly slipped one of them into his deck and shuffled it thinking doing so won't hurt.

It hurt him. Emotionally.

But for now, he had to press forward.

Both players shielded themselves as a surge of insane torrents blew their way. Their respective monsters tried to do the same but to no avail. One by one, they were pushed of their balance only to get lost in the illusionary flooding; sending them to the cemetery. _Sapphire Pegasus_, himself, was not an exception to the sudden catastrophe that befell the stage. Although he did manage to preserve himself in the form of a very precious stone in probably the truest shade of blue. A sliver of hope telling all is not lost in the face of disaster.

It did not make Johan feel any less guilty.

Manjoume, meanwhile, grumbly ended his turn. He's out of cards and his opponent managed to swipe his field clean of anything that could have defended him against the other's impending battle phase, only in just a single turn. Blindly hoping the other won't get a card that could make the situation shift into a big come from behind home run, he really loathed Johan so much more than usual right now.

* * *

"I draw and summon in attack mode, _Amber Mammoth!_" to which the raven head sighed to himself in relief, it seemed to him he's gonna have another chance to redeem himself.

**Gem Beast - Amber Mammoth: ATK 1700 / DEF 1600**

"Next I'll activate the spell card _Crystal Beacon, _this lets me special summon another _Gem Beast _from my in the condition that I have at least 2 of them in my spell and trap card zone" Asuka from the stands, did not miss the slight change in Johan's demeanour. He's voice has gone a pitch lower, he's antics of talking to he's cards gone and he seemed a bit _distant_, _darker —_a bit _sinister_.

The Norwegian champ chose _Ruby Carbuncle, _also in attack mode. Girls, and a few guys, from the audience couldn't help but find the newly appeared monster cute. _Ruby _did a quick midair-suspended summersault before resuming her offensive stance, emphasising the gracefulness of her crystal ended tail.

**Gem Beast - Ruby Carbuncle: ATK 300 / DEF 300**

She wasn't adorable to Manjoume at the moment tho. Johan choosing her at this stage doesn't spell good for him.

"When _Ruby _is special summoned, I can bring back as many _Gem Beasts _from my spell and trap card zone

as I can"

Really, the next person he hears compliment little _Ruby_ would get a beating from his royal self, Manjoume-_sanda_.

**Gem Beast - Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 / DEF 1200**

**Gem Beast - Emerald Turtle: ATK 600 / DEF 2000**

**Gem Beast - Amethyst Cat: ATK 1200 / DEF 400**

Surely, the ending is clear, yes?

**Johan: 2600 LP**

**Manjoume: 0 LP**

* * *

Sho celebrated over the fact that his _aniki _managed to win against one of the elites_. _Beside him Misawa was downright amazed, an Osiris defeating an Obelisk was next to impossible in the history of Duel Academy. Furthermore, gaining promotion right after merely a month of their first semester, is an achievement of it's own caliber. Asuka remained skeptic on Johan's sudden —not very obvious— change. Chronos couldn't be anymore livid and Samejima-kocho was ecstatic.

Despite winning, Johan was not pleased. The solid visuals were turned off, making his materialised monster vanish to the naked eye of people unlike himself. His _Gem Beasts_ fussed over him in worry. He didn't like this.

"Sorry about that Manjoume" was his whisper to the wind, barely audible to his intended receiver. The others vision went blank —deeply enraged— apologising for winning a duel is completely unheard of! He's usual set of lackeys rushed to Manjoume's side to stop him from backlashing at the teal-head.

Johan, eyes shaded by thick locks of hair, repeated his apology.

"YOU SHITTY BASTARD-!"

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

A/N's:

*There are different kinds of _union monsters_, like the above mentioned, some could be fused with fellow union monsters to special summon their fusion counterparts while others could be equipped/unequipped once per turn; effect depends on card descriptions. Older versions of _union monsters_ could only be destroyed if the monsters they are equipped to are destroyed by means of battle, later versions are destroyed with their host regardless of means.

*Trap cards can only be activated if they had been set first, you do not necessarily need to wait for your next turn to do so like in the above mention of _Call of the Haunted._ Manjoume could have used it during Johan's main phase if he so wanted.

*Apparently, solid-visuals were designed to hurt a bit so they're not necessarily over reacting in the show

* * *

*So sorry for the very late update, I don't really have any excuses other than the following: busy with school, when I found time I got lazy, and when I finally wanted to continue I don't remember how the original series went anymore…so there you have it! (I had the first half of this chapter type written months back, the other half I rushed the other day so I could finally post it —no edits or double checks...sorry for the inconsistency)

*Also, I had a hard time finding the right card to get that turn around Judai accomplished with the use of _Transcendent Wings…_I tried finding a similar card I could use for _Ruby _—I miserably failed— and since I am not very knowledgeable with the _Gem Beast_ deck, I chose what I think is needed to actually make Johan's deck stronger _Torrential Tribute _(I had another card in my mind but I scrapped that idea so I could use it later)

*While I know Johan's original deck does not contain a card that destroys his opponent's at all, I find myself thinking that it is canon Johan's main weakness and that it's the reason why I think his deck is pretty weak compared to Judai's Elemental Heroes. Allow me to make changes for that —he needs some background story anyway :)))

*Notice what I did on how the conversation went? I didn't wanna make Johan as much of an idiot as Judai had been in the first season since he's originally from Obelisk Blue. (...tho that would be adorable)

* * *

**Yes, I skipped a lot…I'm not doing 1 chapter = 1 episode anyway…that's too much of a hassle and obviously I'm not the hardworking type…I'll try to focus on at least one duel per chapter like what I did here and previously then skip whatever I could…

**Rating changed to T...because I couldn't stop Manjoume from cursing

**If my initial plan pushes through, Judai's coming soon so yay~ :DDD

Reviews, comments and suggestions are always welcome~ that's all bye-bye, see you next chapter!~


	3. Hero's March —All Hail the King!

**His Knight: The Falsified King**

* * *

**Chapter Three: **Hero'sMarch _—All Hail the King!_

* * *

It's been three days since the happenings in the promotion exams. The results of the written portion is yet to be announced but regardless, the value of the field tests mattered much greater than that. There is no denying the result of an actual duel, you're good if you win and otherwise if you lose. A bunch of the victors are confident they'd score high, never mind that being actually promoted is unclear thus far.

While most have gotten over the outcome of their respective matches, there still lingers some leftover tension between Manjoume and Johan from their last encounter. It's not like they've been in a much friendlier terms before, just that lately they've been more hostile —at least in the former's part, the latter was giving off gloomy vibes to virtually anybody despite being the victorious one.

The raven head's previous outburst remains unexplained to the majority of the campus population. Even his closest friends —sidekicks rather— failed to squeeze information out of him; receiving nothing more than a new set of colourful curses, comically widening their insult vocabulary, every time the topic is brought back up. He's clearly still pissed.

Johan, likewise, didn't say anything involving it. Heck he's being awfully quiet it's disturbing, he won't respond even to Sho or Misawa —his closest friends in the academy. Most hadn't noticed the slight change in him during the duel; but after the entire ordeal, it's like he's persona turned a full one-eigthy. The approachable cheerful nut-job was reduced to a sighing depressed nut-job. Unnamed witnesses claim his been mumbling things to himself a lot —which was technically both true and false.

Unfortunately for the two aforementioned, until the cat's out of the bag, the gossip mill would continue working.

Rumours have it that it's because Manjoume's just being the jerk that he is, hence his openly bitter actions about the whole thing; some with the more logical input thinks their resident overseas champion said something that set off the other's admittedly short temper. Although what exactly, they couldn't tell for sure.

Ah…but let's not forget that there are people who thinks like these two…

"We're telling you Asuka, it's so definitely U.S.T." aredhead by the name of Makurada Junko explained in a rather disturbingly delightful tone.

"And what is that?" the one she addressed to couldn't quite catch how their conversation turned from Johan's uncharacteristic behaviours to something Junko deems to be fangirl material.

"Unresolved sexual tension" their other companion, Hamaguchi Momoe, stated in a proud way —it's apparent in her face that she's thinking she just said the smartest thing in the world.

Torn between wanting to either face palm herself or her classmates, the blonde shook her head in disbelief 'Why was she friends with these two again?'

"I can so see it! They love each other but they're like totally afraid to show it!"

"Yeah~ like they express they're feelings for each other in literally the wrong way"

Asuka groaned. The next person she hears say any 'dumb blonde' jokes is gonna be shoved towards her so-called girl friends and she'd make sure they'd have a nice long chat.

* * *

Enough about the concerned brigade, let us return our focus to our lead character, Johan.

He isn't much of the eye-catchy protagonist he's supposed to be now though. The teen was laying on his back, staring furiously at the cloud-filled sky from one of his school's many heliports, he's at the one by the harbour. To hell with the weather who never went along with his moods, always mocking him by being so bright and jolly despite his anxious state. Brows knitted together in frustration, wrinkling his handsome features. He probably should stop that blaming-the-unaware habit. Johan sighed audibly.

The act, let alone the thought, of destroying cards brings back unpleasant memories. He's gone as far as conquering a countrywide championship title without needing to use a single destructive card since that faithful day three years back. It was careless of him to add _Torrential Tribute _on his deck —a mistake. But then he used it anyway, didn't he? Was he ever so hungry for a credited win he'd break his own set rules? Does the level of competitiveness in Duel Academia negatively affecting him?

Then shouldn't he just leave? He's already proven himself on a national stage, he could just go look for a sponsor that would help him become a pro. But then his situation won't change, will he be as troubled again should he face a situation with regards to eradication?

His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of large metal doors. They were fairly old so they'd be sure to make noise with the slightest of movements. Even with the Academia having state-of-the-art facilities, they still have unmaintained spaces. Areas like the heliport where he is at now, aren't really frequented by many because people normally never really had the need to go there save for the island's supply delivery crew. His PDA's student guide stated the staff ships from the main city only once a month, and so this spot had been his personal sanctuary ever since he noticed the lack of human activity to it some weeks ago.

Why'd he need one you ask? The most obvious reason would be his _Duel Spirits_. Johan can't exactly talk freely to them without sounding deranged to the norms, it's a bonus that it's wide enough to move around freely; especially for _Amber Mammoth. _Another would be due to his own episodes. Heavily hinting that it's for him to vent out his frustrations alone. We have already pointed out that the teal-head do not appreciate the use of destructive cards, apparently the same goes for his opponents and everybody else's.

He'd cringe inwardly every time he saw a duellist thoughtlessly use such tactic. If you ask him he'd say his reactions had mellowed down compared to before where in he'd barrage his piece of mind aloud, disregarding the fact that he'd be misinterpreted —ousted.

Yes, behind his accomplishments from his homeland, Norway, he'd been looked down upon. What kind of duelist berates his contender for his/her way of playing the game? Similar to if someone tells you to change because you're just plain wrong in a way. It would always be rude to the receiver.

Johan decide to call out the newcomer, just to shake off the negativities. The other didn't look like he'd be a bad guy. Hopefully...

"Hey there!" Johan called, effectively gaining the startled stranger's attention.

Flowing unruly mop of caramel-to-chocolate hair framing a delicate face invaded the foreigner's vision; fair skin tanned well enough not to look sickly, dark rimmed glasses resting along the bridge of a button nose, and behind this sat large brown eyes looking nervously at him…oops…what did he do?

Johan inwardly panicked, he didn't do anything wrong did he? Does he look intimidating to the other after all the depression he's going through? Accessing the circumstances, he assumed he most likely caught the other teen off guard. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

Now that he could think more clearly, he noticed that there's something familiar about the little guy.

"Have we met before?" he asked, which was met by a questioning expression.

"Really? I could swear I remember you from somewhere…"

The silence was uncomfortable.

"Well…ugh…hey, I haven't really seen you around" Johan scratched the back of his head, "Anyway…let's start over! Are you new here? I'm called Johan Andersen, you are?"

"I'm…lost..."

* * *

"You don't like to speak much do you? I'm cool with that" both the teal-head and the brunet have abandoned the roof deck and are headed to the chancellor's office, taking the woodland path —Johan claimed it to be a short-cut.

They silently navigated through the forest. Johan was walking a few steps ahead the other, nervously sweating bullets; _oh what he wouldn't give to break this awkwardness. _He'd been trying to start up a conversation since they left, he so far had no luck with it. _'Why is this so hard?'_

"Since you're not so depressed anymore, isn't this a good thing?", _Cobalt Eagle_ flew by his side. "You think?", he inquired back.

Unexpectedly, the stranger coughed once to voice his concern, "Is everything alright?"

Crap_. _Now he's gonna think Johan has a mental case. Is it too much to ask for there to at least be one other person besides him in this island who shares the same ability? They could be best buds and do fun stuff with their spirits, no one else could.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop…I'm sorry _Sir Eagle_"

"He called me _Sir Eagle_! Johan he's adorable, let's keep him!"

A twig snapped under the weight of Johan's boot.

Gasp. Turn.

"You can see him" he stated more than asked.

Blink. Nod.

"YOU CAN REALLY SEE HIM!" Johan was ecstatic.

* * *

And then suddenly, they were walking side by side…unseparated by the earlier invisible wall called distance. The boundaries have been breached. It was so easy to talk to the other —so easy to tell a story, how his stay at the Academia has went so far, how different his hometown was to _Domino City_; so easy to complain about the most random of things like the rude _Yellows_ and _Blues_, questionable lessons they take in class —are they even needed for duelling? seriously...alchemy? no hard feelings Daitokuji_-sensei._

Despite the brunet's reactions minimised to mere smiles and soft giggles. Johan was having fun. At some point in their one-sided conversation, _Cobalt Eagle_ pulled himself away from the two. He returned to the side of his _Gem Beast_ brothers and sisters, watching, grinning, plotting. Oh boy!

The Norwegian was even able to share his recent duel and how he reacted to it days after. He stopped walking, teal orbs growing more unfocused as he delves in deeper into his own thoughts and criticisms. The stranger also ceased further movements, worry for the taller male became apparent.

* * *

You see, Johan had the gift to see _duel spirits_ for as long as he can remember. The exact date never mattered, young Johan was just happy that he was surrounded by a lot of _friends_ —friends that no one else are able to decipher. In the early stages of his life, the people around him thought they were imaginary.

That's not right. Until now, even after all those years, everybody else thought he was making things up. He ended up pretending —hiding. He ignored the spirits that kept bothering him. As if he could make himself believe they weren't actually there in the first place. He locked his once colourful world deep inside a stone —his heart. Purposely shining on display for the masses to appreciate —unreal; fake.

But young Johan really wanted to have someone who'd believe him, someone he could let everything he kept inside out on. Preteen Johan almost lost hope.

3 years ago, he found someone like him. Preteen Johan thought he was a really cool guy. He spoke his words as if they were headline material, his strides are laid-back but his very stance exudes confidence.

How was he so sure he could see? _Jerry Beans Man_.

Giese Hunt kept looking at that one kid's duel spirit.

_Jerry Beans Man_ belonged to a little boy in Johan's neighbourhood, much younger than himself. The spirit shows himself up every now and then to ask preteen Johan to play with his master, which isn't being helpful to Johan's predicament. If he talks to this spirit, everyone would think he'd gone mad. No one would like him —he'd lose all the friends he made.

Giese knew preteen Johan has the same ability.

He approached the teal-head and tried to gain his sympathy.

That they were on the same boat, experiencing isolation from the rest of the world —the world that suppresses whatever is different; whatever they deem to be an anomaly. But that's how it should be, he'd add; contradicting his very persona. No one else in the world would understand, people like Johan and Giese should be the one to adjust to better understand the world; to help the rest of the populace —because they were blessed with an incredible gift; they were destined to make a huge impact.

Johan got fascinated with Giese' stories, blindsided by the flowery words. He was young, a child, who could blame him? A child clings to the first person who shows them appreciation. And so when Giese told him that he knew of a way to help keep their secret power at bay, Johan readily assisted him.

They stole it from the kid.

Giese ripped the card.

_Jerry Beans Man_ never bothered him again.

He couldn't. He's gone now.

"Why?" Johan stared dumbfounded "He was alive"

It haunted him, how the spirit begged him for salvation —how he contributed to this…murder.

"Keyword is _was, _kid"

He never saw Giese Hunt again.

The pain, the agony, they never left Johan. Not after making his name known through the continent as a rising duellist a year later. Even after receiving the _Gem Beasts_ from _Maximilian Pegasus_. The first set of spirits he could claim as his.

He treasured them, loved them like a family would.

The guilt remains still. He vowed to never bring them harm —cherish them, protect them.

Not only his, but other's as well. The promise carried on to his duelling.

An atonement for his sin.

* * *

"I don't think it's wrong"

Johan poised in protest. This guy in front of him hadn't uttered a single syllable while he shared his side story; now he walks away and dares to agree on his mishap? While he didn't really expect the other to just listen to his ramblings and agree, he…He thinks he might've seen the other's eyes changed into a more golden shade which effectively held his train of thoughts, shutting him up effortlessly.

"That Giese guy was…but not the method you use in defeating that classmate of yours"

The next thing the foreigner knew, they're both activating their duel disks.

"Eh?"

* * *

**Johan: 4000 LP**

**?: 4000 LP**

* * *

"EEEEHH?!"

The glasses wearing kid's delicate fingertips pressed above his own deck securely locked in his outdated device —a _Battle City_ issue disk model— "I'll start first, draw!"

"Wait. Wait. Stop!" Johan hastily drew his first five cards. He didn't know how opening up his issues to an innocent looking teen escalated to duelling the aforementioned. Either way, he isn't gonna back down on his first match since the one against Manjoume.

"I summon _Elemental Hero_ _Burst Lady _in attack mode and set a card face down. Turn end" wielding an E-hero deck means his opponent should heavily rely on spell and trap cards to power up his monsters; a tricky choice with a wide range of attack patterns. Pinpointing how the other would be play his hand at this stage of the battle is impossible —not while too little is revealed— the teal-head noted. Interesting.

A grey-skinned heroine poised herself in front of the stranger, she was clad in a revealing fiery red spandex suit with asymmetrical boots and arm guards of the same colour. Atop her long black to smokey ombre hair rests a pointy gold head gear, a green coloured stone was embedded as its centre piece.

**Elemental Hero - Burst Lady: ATK 1200 / DEF 800**

"Pretty quick aren't you? Draw!" Johan shortly acknowledge his hand cards before deciding what to do, a number of scenarios ran in his head until he finally nodded to himself in approval. "I summon _Amethyst Cat _in attack position"

**Gem Beast - Amethyst Cat: ATK 1200 / DEF 400**

His ever trusted friend leaped gracefully on entry, but too bad for her, she won't be staying long. "You've triggered my face down, _Trap Hole —_the moment you called your feline to the field, she was destined to suffer the effect of my set card! _Trap Hole _allows me to destroy any monster normal or flipped summon with attack points of 1000 or more"

Johan's eyes widened a fraction, he couldn't do a thing, witnessing _Amethyst Cat_'s untimely demise. Granted his _Gem Beast_'s lasting effect keeps her off the grave and instead go to his spell/trap card zone, it doesn't change the fact that she was destroyed due to his own carelessness —helplessness. He walked her right into battle unable to defend!

As if to rub salt over the wound, the other continued on with his monologue "Judging by the fact that you summoned a monster equal to my _Burst Lady_'s fire power, either you have a card in your hand that could have altered the circumstances or your creature had an effect that may have cost me my life points"

True. _Amethyst _does have such an ability, by halving her attack points she could have inflicted some damage. He also can't deny having a card that could have raised his monster's strength by 500 —_M Force. _Johan even had a clear vision of what he'll do for his next turn in case the brunet managed to summon a stronger _Hero _that would endanger his LP_. _He'd play his _Crystal Flash_ —a spell that would've allowed him to send a _Gem Beast _from his handto his spell/trap zone then made his _Cat_ indestructible by battle while reducing the differential hit through her to zero; in theory, this should've lead him to boost up his arsenal's swarm effect in the late game.

Everything crumbled down when his first move got disrupted. Four out of his six hand cards were rendered useless —_Amethyst Cat_, _M Force_, _Crystal Flash _and it's supposed sacrifice, _Cobalt Eagle. _The remaining options are _Rare Value, _which he couldn't use without at least 2 Gem Beasts set as continuous spell; and…_E Force!_ He's still has fight left!

"If you had a card in your hand…no…in your deck that could've negated my face down, you could've saved your friend!"

"I can safeguard them just fine without having to destroy, I activate the magic card _E Force! —_I get to select _Amethyst Cat_ from my spell/trap card zone and summon her again in attack mode!_" _with this move he regains access to his other spell cards.

_Amethyst_ reappears as his vanguard, the pink furred cat visibly pissed at the opposing teen for her earlier abrupt exit. Burst Lady hissed at the feline. How dare this beast bare her fangs at her bespectacled duelist? Two hot-blooded head-butting females don't exactly have the best compatibility. A sigh escaped the smaller teen as he motioned to stop his hero's impending outburst "My apologies, I had to use you to set as an example for your wishful-minded master"

**Gem Beast - Amethyst Cat: ATK 1200 / DEF 400**

"You can see them too, you can feel them…you know they are alive..." Johan needed no further affirmation before pressing forward. "Then how can you treat them that way?! I activate _M-Force _to boost my beast's attack points by 500 and engage her in battle"

**Gem Beast - Amethyst Cat: ATK 1200 — 1700**

A fading war cry could be heard from the now fallen heroine.

**Johan: 4000 LP**

**?: 3500 LP**

"That wasn't so bad now, was it? In exchange of sending my _E-Hero_ to the grave, you get to keep your monster longer. How is my approach any different from yours?"

"Our methods are not the same! At least I gave_ Burst Lady_ a fighting chance by facing her head-on"

"Results are what matters"

"Even so, it's better being on equal grounds…I set a card face down, turn end"

"If the only way to rescue your family is by degenerate means, would you rather let them down than stain your hands?"

* * *

Like most students, Misawa had been busy pondering —scratch that, Misawa does not ponder…he hypothesises— what could have gone between the two mass-acclaimed freshmen top duelists. He decided to take a stroll around the forest portion of the campus a bit for a breather, thinking over his batch mates' personal problems isn't really gonna do him good. This _Ra_ is just curious, is all. He has yet to duel _Ichiban-kun, _further investigations are needed; he tried to convince no one in particular.

His feet aimlessly carried him a few feet away to witness Johan's current duel against some guy he has never seen before. He suddenly stopped walking and stealthily hid himself behind a nearby tree, as to why he did so; instincts? Ha! As if Misawa uses instincts, everything he does is logical.

Misawa positioned himself so that most of his body was hidden from view if ever either of the two glanced his way. Slicked-back head poked out slightly from the trunk, getting himself a decent enough view. The conversation however, he couldn't make out.

* * *

"What you spout are but naivety, you may have lucked out until now…but the duelling world isn't such a gentle place" his words struck, albeit somewhat harshly, on Johan's heartstrings. "Who cares if your methods are twisted? If it's to protect my friends, I'd destroy without second thought" they were spoken with such conviction, you'd highly doubt they came out of a frail looking person.

_Isn't this considered hypocrisy? To destroy, to protect?_

* * *

"I draw" the clearing went quiet. No wind gust could be heard, no soft rustling of leaves, it was almost eerie; as if nature itself anticipates his opponent's next move. Tiny beads of sweat began forming in Johan's forehead.

The stranger regarded his card for a few seconds. Irises glimmering a gold shade —or was it the light reflecting his glasses?— before returning to their original warm brown. "I summon _Elemental Hero Featherman_ in attack position...I then activate the spell card _Miracle Fusion_" Of course, the most convenient summoning of their generation is through fusion. It's not a new concept Johan is unfamiliar with, he has battled lots of them before; from Asuka's _Cyber Girls_ to Sho's _Roids. _He can't claim to be an expert of it, seeing as he has none in his deck, but he has proven time and again his swarm could handle them.

"This card let's me banish the fusion materials I need, either from the field or from the grave, to special summon from my extra deck. Come! _Flame Wingman_!"

**Elemental Hero - Flame Wingman: ATK 2100 / DEF 1200**

A new hero emerged from the union, he looked like a hybrid of a red fire-breathing dragon and a green winged beast —all buff and muscular like how most comic book heroes are depicted. His _Cat_ can't hold a candle against that guy. Even with the _M-Force_ boost, she wouldn't be able to retaliate…but with his face down, she could survive this turn. Yes, he could still beat him.

As his opponent entered his battle phase, Johan wasted no time taking action. He'd either win this or go down trying!

"I activate my quick play spell _Crystal Fla-_"

"Whoever said I was done? From my hand I play the trap _Spell Jammer…_by discarding _Necroshade_ I can negate your play and continue my attack"

**Johan: 3600 LP**

**?: 3500 LP**

"Furthermore, when _Flame Wingman_ successfully destroys an opponent monster by battle, he can inflict direct damage to my opponent equal to the attack of the destroyed monster..._Amethyst Cat_ had 1200 plus the additional 500 she gained prior"

**Johan: 1900 LP**

**?: 3500 LP**

From that one turn, everything crumbled. Johan's tactics wouldn't connect. They got intercepted before being given the chance to show their true worth. Is that how he'd been duelling so far? He'd been suppressing his own potential. From his pretence as a kid, to his denial as an adolescent…_they were for only for show._

His _Gem Beasts_ aren't just beautiful displays, they have a deeper value —they can do so much more. He needs to let the world know that; let them understand. Giese was wrong, Johan truly was naive back then.

_*One's nature is revealed in a duel, it reflects the person's heart._

He needs to change- No. He needs to go back to what he was originally meant to be.

_*Nobody can lie in a duel._

He can't lie to himself anymore.

Even with Johan surviving for another round, there isn't really anything he can do to reverse the situation. That fusion monster on the other side of the field, having over 2000 attack points, beckons him to make a move —silently telling him no matter what, it's going to be a futile action.

He drew a card and saw it was _Amber Crystal Circle_. Johan can't use it without _Amber Mammoth. _Even if he placed _Cobalt Eagle_ in defence, he wouldn't hold out long enough for a comeback miracle to happen; especially with _Flame Wingman's_ burn effect. _Rare Value _won't be able to assist him still, he only had _Amethyst Cat_ in the spell/trap card zone. As for the rest of his life points, his opponent could always tribute summon a high level monster to do that job since _Necroshade _is on the grave.

* * *

"If the capable shows weakness, how does he expect the fragile to act strong?"

'Capable alone is not enough to define this stranger…he was the very personification of the word strong', was Johan's unvoiced opinion. The two-toned brunet stood there all regal and prominent, his free hand raised in command —much like a king handing judgment upon his impudent subject. He felt the urge —the need— to cower and bow down, but he was caught in a trance and just openly stared as Flame Wingman's attack mercilessly drained the last of his life points, henceforth concluding their duel.

**Johan: 0 LP**

**?: 3500 LP**

* * *

Misawa, from his hiding spot, froze. The Norwegian champion just got himself beat. No one has ever done so since their month long stay at the _Academia; _neither a professor nor a _Blue_ could halt his winning streak. Now some anonymous person marches in and claims victory over the most celebrated _Red _ever.

"I better tell the others..."

* * *

After some time, Johan finally notices that the solid visuals were already powered down. The teal-head lowers his sight towards the deck holster of his disk, absorbing the outputs of the stranger he still don't know the name of. His hand moved to pick up his cherished deck —his precious friends— mindlessly caressing _Ruby's _card as it lay on the topmost. He no longer feels troubled.

Johan motioned his gaze to his victorious companion only to find him already gone. A single stray tear escaped one of his eyes. Furiously rubbing his face with his long sleeve, he smiled gently and whispered his heartfelt gratitude to thin air, somehow knowing in his heart that he'll meet the other again pretty soon.

"We've gotta thank him properly next time"

"Rubii bi~" was _Ruby_'s enthusiastic response, the other spirits are equally as delighted.

* * *

Somewhere in the Academy island, runs the missing-in-action victor, he manoeuvred into the woods as best as his not-so-athletic body could. Those gifted with the ability to see monster spirits should perceive alongside him were the forms of _Ice Edge_ —whom had sparkles in his eyes—, _Knopse_ —a giggling mess— and _Hane Kuriboh_ —hovering around the earlier noted _E-Hero _juniors in joy. The three childishly boasting how cool their duelist was amongst each other, not that any of them would state otherwise.

When the brunet deemed himself far enough from his former adversary, he ceased his movements; abruptly crouching down to cover his blushing face. The spirit trio snapped quick gazes at each other before refreshingly beaming at the flustered teen —with flowers, glitters and all "Judai is the coolest and the cutest~"

* * *

Come the following day, the news of Johan's defeat have spread like wildfire. Speculations as to who did it rose from all over, of course there was also the question if it was even true. A certain underling combo were first to approach Manjoume in relation to the issue at hand. They were confident it was him; strings of curses roared through the huge halls of the _Obelisk _dwellings.

Nope. Not him.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

A/N's:

*Original Japanese name vs English name:

_ Featherman_ is _Avian_

_ Burst Lady_ is _Burstinatrix _(4kids deemed her original costume as unsuitable for young audiences and made her wear a full bodysuit instead in the dub)

_ Crystal Flash _is already the english name, the literal translation for the original name should've been _Gem Flash _but you might confuse it with the trap card _Gem Flash Energy _or the more popular spell _GEM Burst —_which_ was_ named as _GEM Flash! _insome prints in the earlier TCG in reference to _HERO Flash!_

_ Magic Jammer _also is in TCG already, some might recognise it by it's other name _Spell Jammer_. I needed a reason to discard _Necroshade (Necrodarkman_ in the OCG) to emphasise how Judai could have more options in case Johan managed to beat his current field_..._and I really wanted to show how much myversion!Judai can overpower myversion!Johan…

*The lines "_One's nature is revealed in a duel, it reflects the person's heart" _and "_Nobody can lie in a duel" _are both quoted from GX episode 20, as stated by the Japanese dubbed Ryou and Judai respectively.

*chapter edit: I can't believe I messed up Flame Wingman's effect...OF ALL CARDS, SERIOUSLY?...problem fixed...

* * *

*No I do not ship Manjoume x Johan…if you do, I'm sorry this fic isn't for you…I don't have anything against that ship but SpiritShipping is love. Expect other ships to fly around, but nothing too major…mostly for the laughs~

*How's my OOC Judai? Physically fragile, yes…I need him that way, otherwise he'll be really OP. And as his actions suggest, he'd be having a king-esque attitude whenever the heat of a moment carries him away, later he'd be embarrassed…he's a troubled little fellow, bare with him okay~^^ HOORAY I finally could start some real SpiritShipping in this story…let's pray I don't get lazy enough to withhold this fic again for another year…I'm starting with chapter4 already~

*My brain got fried with Junko and Momoe…I am not making them speak again anytime soon! Hopefully I wouldn't need them at all, although they're at the same time fun to write because I could go crazy with them…now I'm confused

*Also, I'm still debating whether to make Manjoume anime-like or manga-like; a small FYI for those who don't know, he was the deuteragonist in the manga-verse and he had similar issues to anime-verse but was more serious. His duel spirit there was _Light and Darkness Dragon,_ he didn't have the _Ojamas_, and he was never a comic relief; manga!Manjoume is capable of beating manga!Judai.

*this chapter is unedited and may contain grammatical and continuity errors, feel free to point that out in a review or pm, I'll try my best to fix it.

* * *

*sorry for not replying to any of the reviews…it just feels like it's too late to answer

suggestions and criticisms are always welcome~ dropping a simple "good job" would make me really happy…thank you, have a nice day~


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